We have had a fun-filled ride on October Fright Fest this month, but now it has come to an end. These three movies are the cream of the crop of horror films. They're guaranteed to make any night one of terror.
"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (1974)
Look up the word "ghoulish" in the dictionary and you'll see a small picture of Tobe Hooper's "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." This is not a film that will jump out and scare you as much as it will make your skin crawl.
"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" follows a group of teenagers embarking across Texas to find the grave of one of their grandparents after hearing reports of grave-robbing. As they get to the grandparents' house, the group splits up — some look for a swimming hole and others to search the area. Eventually, one of them finds a strange looking house and knocks on the door, asking for fuel. Instead, he meets Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen), a chain saw-wielding terror, wearing a mask made from the skin of his victims. Now the group has to find a way to survive Leatherface and his family.
"Massacre" is a movie so macabre and chilling that it deserves a place with the best horror movies ever made. The mere shots of the dark Texas landscape are eerie enough without chain saw-holding cannibals thrown into the mix. Despite its title, "Massacre" doesn't rely on gore or extreme violence for screams. Instead, the movie uses implied violence and creeping horror to scare audiences. The scene that always sticks out in my mind is when the main girl meets "grandpa." I won't spoil what happens, but just thinking about the scene makes my skin crawl.
"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" is not a shock fest, but rather a creeping, ghastly movie that will hold onto you long after you finish watching.
"Alien" (1979)
"In space, no one can hear you scream." The tagline for Ridley Scott's "Alien" sums it up perfectly: a trapped, terrifying ride in space.
"Alien" takes place in the future, aboard the spaceship Nostromo. The crew is returning home to Earth after picking up a refinery and 20 million tons of ore. On the way back, they hear a distress signal from a ship crashed on an unnamed planet. Three members of the crew investigate the ship and come back with a parasite attached to Kane's (John Hurt) face. Attempting to board the ship, Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) refuses to allow them onboard, citing the ship's quarantine protocol. Eventually, Ash (Ian Holm) lets them onboard. The parasite relinquishes its grip of Kane and dies. Kane appears fine afterwards, until he eats dinner that night. If only someone had just listened.
"Alien" is a perfect blend of science fiction and horror. The cramped spaces of the ship provide a great setting for the film. "Alien" uses dark corners and air vents to perfection, giving us small snippets of the alien and making it all the more terrifying. Created by Swiss surrealist artist H.R. Giger, the alien and its terrifying anatomy is one of the greatest movie monsters ever. Also, in a time where it was rare to have a strong female lead in a science fiction film, Weaver kicks enormous amounts of butt as Ripley. All in all, "Alien" is one of the greatest science fiction, or horror, films you will ever watch. And you need to watch it, now.
"Halloween" (1978)
And here, at last, is the perfect film for Halloween. There are probably people who would say using "Halloween" is hokey, but I think it is the perfect holiday film.
"Halloween" opens on Halloween night in 1963 with a young boy named Michael Myers. His sister is babysitting Michael that night while their parents are out. Michael stabs his sister to death, and we see the action entirely from Michael's perspective. The story then moves to 1978 as Michael escapes from the institution holding him, returns home and begins stalking Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis).
"Halloween" is director John Carpenter's exploration of the nature of evil. Michael is shown as an unstoppable force with no real emotion and no hope of changing. Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence) repeatedly tells the audience that Myers is completely beyond human reach and that he "is not a man." "Halloween" does a terrific job of building mystique around Myers, having him mysteriously pop up around the characters at will. "Halloween" also does a great job of using atmosphere to build terror. The score, also by John Carpenter, perfectly escalates tension at the right moments. The last twenty minutes of the movie are some of the most genuinely tense and frightening moments ever in a horror film.
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